Republicans: We will not resort to racism or sexism against “Latina Racist”
May 27, 2009 by William K. Wolfrum
WASHINGTON — Just 24 hours after President Barack Obama nominated Sofia Sotomayor to take the Supreme Court seat to be vacated by Judge David Souter, Republican leaders have made it clear to not resort to racist and/or sexist attacks against the first female Hispanic to be nominated to the highest court in the land.
Led by Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, the GOP has made it clear that issues and thoughtfulness will dominate the nomination battle.
“Republicans look forward to learning more about federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor’s thoughts on the importance of the Supreme Court’s fidelity to the Constitution and the rule of law,” said Steele. “Supreme Court vacancies are rare, which makes Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination a perfect opportunity for America to have a thoughtful discussion about the role of the Supreme Court in our daily lives. Republicans will reserve judgment on Sonia Sotomayor until there has been a thorough and thoughtful examination of her legal views.”
Heeding Steele’s call, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said the GOP will work to fight the Sotomayor nomination by focusing on her judicial record.
“White man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. Latina woman racist should also withdraw,” said Gingrich.
Aside from Gingrich, other GOP leaders have also stayed on message, focusing on Sotomayor’s vast judicial record, as well as individual cases.
“Here you have a racist – you might want to soften that, and you might want to say a reverse racist,” said Limbaugh. “Well, those days are gone because reverse racists certainly do have the power to implement their power. Obama is the greatest living example of a reverse racist, and now he’s appointed one.”
Like Gingrich and Limbaugh, other Conservatives have come forward with valid criticisms of Sotomayor’s look, keeping with the party’s pledge to keep the fight against her civil.
“Does the nominee still have Diabetes?,” asked Glenn Beck. “Could the Messiah heal her, or does she just not want to ask? What is protocol on miracle healings?”
For Republicans, the Sotomayor nomination is a complex one. At this stage, however, they have made it clear that they are unwilling to drive away Hispanic and women voters by using racist or sexist attacks on the New Yorker.
“This is someone who clearly was picked because she’s a woman and Hispanic, not because she was the best qualified,” said Curt Levey, executive director of the Committee for Justice. “I could certainly see red and purple state Democrats gawking at it and she may very well have to withdraw her nomination.”
The call for sensitivity and civility from the GOP has thus far trickled down to the Conservative media, who view the pick as controversial, but have focused solely on Sotomayor’s record as a judge.
“Judge Sotomayor may indeed be dumb and obnoxious; but she’s also female and Hispanic, and those are the things that count nowadays,” said the National Review’s Mark Hemingway.
–WKW
I find it awesome that the RNC was originally patting themselves on the back for electing Michael Steele, and screaming to all who would listen about how super-awesome they were for being as progressive as the Democrats in their ability to elect a black man. And now they go to great lengths to undermine the poor man at every turn.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Steele fan at all, but if I ran the RNC (aka “the circus”), I’m pretty sure I’d be pissed as hell about this one especially. I’d probably have to release an internal memo that said something like, “Seriously, you guys? When I, the elected leader of this sinking ship, say that we’re not going to be racist about this, that means I DON’T want you to be racist. I know we’ve been playing doublespeak for the last couple of decades, but they figured out the code. So, from now on, when I say we’re not going to do something, that means we’re NOT going to do something. That isn’t the code word to go out and do it.”
Honestly, it’s almost like they’re doing it to him on purpose. It’s not even helpful to them, as it makes them all look like racists. I almost believe that if Steele said, “We’re not going to blow goats,” every Republican in the country would head out to the boondocks, track down a goat, and blow it…probably on camera.
Well, I think you’re wrong, Michael. I think the goat-blowing is going to happen regardless.
Honestly, I think Gingrich, Limbaugh, Beck, etc., believe that it’s their job to bring the racism, while the sitting congresspeople stay “clean,” as it were.
I think Steele is just impotent over them all at this point. He’s a placeholder until they feel they can get away with firing him.
But we’re just 24 hours into Sotomayor’s nomination. I don’t even know where they go from here. Maybe they just think if they hurl everything at her, people will become desensitized to their overt racism/sexism
WKW: “I don’t even know where they go from here.”
Indeed, I thought they had jumped the shark once Rush became the primary spokesperson (in 1992), and then there was Gingrich’s loss of power (and subsequent need to keep his face on the air), and O’Reilly’s attempt to usurp Danielle Steele’s book audience, and Beck’s crying, and Beck’s resurgence of Patriot Movement jargon, and Beck’s conspiracy theories (and Colbert’s subsequent “Doom Bunker” parody), and it’s gotten to the point where I’m not shocked anymore (and really haven’t been since Clinton’s impeachment).
If they brought back David Duke in his red satin robe and gave him his own TV show on Fox News and his own radio show through Clear Channel, I wouldn’t be surprised. But it’s gotten to the point where, much like the few schizophrenics I’ve known in my life, I can’t predict anything they’ll do, but nothing they do surprises me. It just brings it all to a whole new level where I ask, “So, at what point do people stop voting for them altogether?”
“So, at what point do people stop voting for them altogether?”
We’re just about there now. They’ve completely taken the wrong lesson from Obama’s win. He didn’t win because he’s black, or a socialist, or a democrat, or any of that. He won because he exudes likability. But the GOP has followed it up by increasing the anger.
The other day, I was listening to a podcast during which Bill Simmons of ESPN and Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone were comparing/contrasting sports competition & political competition.
Simmons noted that when a team is in the toilet, even the most ardent fans will say something to the effect of “I love [insert team name here] and they’ll always be my team, but right now they’re not hitting, they’ve got no pitching, their manager is a moron, and they just suck.” He noted that you rarely hear political partisans even acknowledge that their side is doing anything the least bit wrong — even when everybody knows they’re doing something stupid.
Taibbi’s response: That’s because in politics, most people hate the other side more than they love their own side.
Dick Cheney could eat live babies on national TV, have sex with Rush Limbaugh, & finish up by waterboarding a koala bear and the 17 percent of the populace who insist that he’s doing God’s work today would continue to support him.
The GOP is not really worried about votes at this point. They have a good solid year of total and complete assholery before they have to start worrying about an election.
Until then, cranking out the mindless hostility and venom will keep the outrage addicts following the show.
Bill, you left out Mark Krikorian, who spewed forth this li’l nugget:
(and hugh, this — “waterboarding a koala bear” — is just too far, sir. Shame on you. Making me laugh out loud at something that vile.)
Farging links…
The above drivel is from this post at National Review.
And of course I mean the quoted drivel, not my original drivel that surrounds the quote.
That’s all mine and originated right here at WKW’s.
You’re demogogically welcome and I mean no reverse racial offense.
Bob, you’re drivel is a superior grade of drivel that none of us here at WKW’s blog would ever confuse with your average run of the mill drivel.
Drivel is fun to say out loud. Say it, you’ll see. Drivel.
a superior grade of drivel
I try, dgun. There are those who say I am very trying, but that’s neither here nor there, IMO.